Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-09

themselves Bespeak the Emptiness OF
the ProtectiOnist Pretensions - a
Probability That = Motion WIN BE
Made to Go Into Committee of the
Whole on the Randall Measure.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 8.-The following
was to-day sent to Speaker Carlisle:
WAsHNGToN, d. c., Feb. 8, 1887.
FH1E. "ohn &. carlisle, Speaker tfthe House OF
RfpreS Utft{ges:
DEAR SIR -Weregret exceedingly that you
could not see your way clear to give recog-
nlton on yesterday to some Democrat TO en-
hoie nm TO move to suspend the rules for
the purpose OF giving the House an o portu :
nltY OF considering the question of the total
repeal OF the Internal revenue tax on to-
Dacco.' Your refusal to give this recognition,
together with your letter Of Feb. z, deserves
more than passing notice. If two-thirds or
more CT the House are IL favor of such repeal
II was grave responsibility for you to OPP
pose such large majority of the representa-
tlVes OF the people. Assuming, however, for
the sake of argument that the friends OF the
proposition constituted less number than
two. thirds, their strength IS cer-
been permitted to test the sense of
the House upon the question, especially since
the country is watching with intense interest
Gne action OF the House in respect thereto.
and the constituents of a large number of
members of the House have been urging them
to obtain, if possible, consideration Of this
suhJect. We do not wish to be misunderstood.
We earnestly desire from party standpoint
that recognition should have been gwen to q
Democrat to make the motion, but We would
vote cheerlully for the proposition. whether
mad5 by Democrat or by a Republican.
You assume in your letter to Us that we ig-
nored your communication Of Feb. 3, and had
deliberately failed TO make response there
to. Our friends did not have
communication until Friday evening, Feb 4.
IL was of such character as to require more
than a formal reply. We called at your hotel
Inc next day, Saturday, but through no fault
OF yours or ours we did not succeed in obtain 81
ing an interview until the day after. We be
heVed that the friends Of the repeal of the
tobacco tax were so strong ip the House that
we would save to the oppressed taxpayers of
this country an annual reduction of taxation
to the extent OF $2s,OOO,000 if
motion for repeal could
be made in the House on Monday OF this
week, the latest day when such motion. to
be effective under the rules, would be in order
during the FOrty-ninth Congress The mo-
ton, If made during the last six days of the
session, would almost certainly be too late to
secure favorable consideration for the ques-
ton in the Senate. We did not anticipate a
refusal OF recognition for the purpose in =
tended. We understood you to say to us YER
Dally thaC II you gave to any one Of our
Irlenus the desired recognition, fair play all
around would require you TO give other
Democrats an opportunity to make ike
motion to pass some distinct propOsitlOn
70 this we assented. You nstanced rs one
such proposition. putting salt on the free list.
We think that revision of the tariff and OF
the internal revenue laws can be attained
from time to time by reforming the obvious
and greater grievances of the two systems.
and thHt we should not refuse to make such
reforms because sweeping charges have moi
been practicable. The country is expecting
to obtain from this Congress relief from
grlevous burdens of taxation. If some of us
cannot get all we want we should al
take what we can get. Our single PROPOSE
ton for repeal OF the tax on tobacco was
not intended and cannot fairly be construed
as intending to exclude consideration by the
House of "all other measures for a reduction
Of taxation" We wished TO obtain cUnsidera-
tlon for that proposition. but we were moi
pressing Tor a reduction of internal revenue
taxes 10 the exclusion of other measures fOI
a revision and reduction Of the tariff. A
Democratic caucus cannot successfully
deal with the whole subject Of revennC
reduction" at this last stags of the
session. That suggestion comes too late
If a caucus could have controlled the legisa-
tion Of the Forty ninth Congress from the be
ginning, the country might have been better
off. If the House was considered competent
TO deal with the silver question, with the
pension question, and with he oleOmargarin6
question, free from the dictatiOn of a Demo
cratic caucus, we think it ought to be COM
petent to deal with the questiOno of the reduc-
tiOn of taxation. A caucus ought not now
TO be invoked To justify the policy OF delay
and nOn-action on this matter. We
sincerely hope, with you, "that some plan
NAV yet be devised which will enable The
House TO consider the whole subject OF reve.
nue. reduction" and revision, I'm spirit o
fairness to all interests" >" and In accOrdanc,
with the letter and spirit OF the platform O
the national Democratic party. adopted at the
convention held at Chicago in the year 1884
and we assure you that we are ready to NEE
any OF our Democratic associates who are
prepared to treat with us on such basis.
JOHN A. HENDERSON.
GEORGE ID. WISE.